Red Buttons

He became a nationally recognizable comedian, and his "Never Got A Dinner" sketch was a standard at the Dean Martin roasts for many years. His notable recent films include The Ring, X2, Troy and The Bourne Supremacy. After his Oscar-winning role in Sayonara, Buttons performed in numerous feature films, including Hatari!, The Longest Day, The Poseidon Adventure, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, and Pete's Dragon. In 1995, he appeared in both Rob Roy and Braveheart. His catchphrase from the show, "strange things are happening", entered the national vocabulary briefly in the mid-1950s. One of his first film appearances, in 1971, was as Leon Trotsky in Nicholas and Alexandra. After years performing burlesque and doing comedy routines in the Catskills, Buttons received his own variety series on television in 1952 -- The Red Buttons Show ran for three years and achieved high levels of success. In 1978, he played King Henry II of England in the acclaimed BBC2 drama serial, The Devil's Crown, following which he starred in many other television dramas.

Born in New York City, Chwatt received the nickname as a young man, when he worked as a waiter in Dinty Moore's tavern in the Bronx -- his uniform's shiny buttons and his bright red hair caused patrons to give him the name he would later perform under. Cox was born in Dundee, Scotland. He won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Sergeant Joe Kelly in Sayonara (1957). Brian Denis Cox (born June 1, 1946) is a Scottish actor, notable for being the first person to play Hannibal Lecter, a role he took in the Michael Mann film Manhunter (1986). Red Buttons (born February 5, 1919) is the stage name of American comedian and actor Aaron Chwatt.